Brighton Start-Ups Scoop Thousands at Entrepreneuring Awards

Entrepreneurial Spark’s gongs will help dozens of businesses to grow…

Brighton, January 2016 – Start-up businesses based at Entrepreneurial Spark’s Brighton Hatchery shared around £35,000 in prizes after pitching their plans in the prestigious Entrepreneuring Awards.

Among the winners were Account Management Now, which claimed the #GoDo prize of £4,000, and 5 Squirrels, which won the Acceler8 Award and £6,000. Halal Celebrations won Entrepreneur of the Moment and £10,000 and taking the Chiclet Choice Award and £2,000 was Consortium Business Solutions. Run by Entrepreneurial Spark and supported by partners NatWest and KPMG, the awards offer cash prizes aimed at helping early-stage businesses to get off the ground and grow.

Fiona Anderson, NatWest’s Entrepreneurial Development Manager in Brighton, said: “It’s fantastic to be able to recognise and reward the hard work, perseverance and growth that these entrepreneurs have shown since joining the Entrepreneurial Spark programme six months ago. I’m fortunate in that I’ve been able to work with them day-in, day-out and witness the progress they’ve made as individuals and business owners.

“It can be daunting starting your own business but these entrepreneurs have had incredible support from all of the partners involved. It’s also been great to see how much they’ve benefitted from working together at the Hatchery where they have the opportunity to share ideas and look for ways to overcome challenges. They have already proven to be a positive reflection of Brighton’s vibrant start-up community and I have no doubt they will continue in their success. I feel proud to have been a part of this programme and look forward to continuing the good work that we have started in Brighton.’’

Tim Rush, Managing Director for Enterprise at KPMG said: “A massive congratulations to all of our winners, who represent the best of what this region has on offer in innovative and exciting new businesses. I have had the privilege to spend time with some of the individual entrepreneurs and been very impressed. Having access to funding can often be the make or break of a start-up business and is vital in helping enterprises to get to that next level. The quality of the pitches that we saw today was so impressive and speak volumes about the pipeline of good quality start-ups that are coming through in this region.”

Entrepreneurial Spark founder and chief executive Jim Duffy said: “The Entrepreneuring Awards have grown alongside our network of Hatcheries, and the latest round will be the biggest yet. The cash prizes are an excellent way of boosting some of our most promising businesses and accelerating their growth, and the events also provide valuable networking opportunities and pitching practice.

“Entrepreneurs need to be able to explain their business briefly and concisely, and they never know when they might meet a potential investor, client or partner. That’s why we drill our Chiclets to ensure that they are clear on their goals and able to pitch their ideas.”

Entrepreneurs put the skills learned at Bootcamp and over the past six months into practice as they pitched their business at the gala event. Winners of the pitching competition, as well as the #GoDo Awards, Acceler8 Awards and others, shared thousands of pounds to help develop their business ideas and put their plans into action.

The evening featured Steve Bustin, as well as speakers from among Entrepreneurial Spark’s team of Enablers and representatives of partner NatWest. Steve Bustin is a business communications expert, award-winning motivational business speaker, masterclass leader and communications coach. Steve talks on a range of media, communication and business topics and was named National Speaker of the Year 2015/16 by the Professional Speaking Association.

The awards ceremony in Brighton coincided with others at Entrepreneurial Spark’s Hatcheries across the UK.

Entrepreneurial Spark is the world’s largest free accelerator for start-up and scale-up businesses, and competition for the latest intake to its accelerator programmes was intense.

To find your nearest Hatchery and register interest for the August 2016 intake, visit www.entrepreneurial-spark.com.